The federal agent who shot and killed Detroit armed robbery suspect Terrence Kellom was justified in doing so, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said Tuesday.
Worthy said that following a lengthy investigation, there's no evidence to warrant charging Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Mitchell Quinn with a crime.
Quinn was part of a multi-agency task force that raided Kellom’s father’s house on Detroit's west side in April.
Quinn and other officers say Kellom dropped through a hole in the ceiling and advanced on officers with a hammer.
Worthy says a months-long review of the physical evidence and conflicting eyewitness accounts basically confirms that story.
The incident had sparked community anger and drawn the attention of some in the “Black Lives Matter” movement, but Worthy says this particular police shooting was justified.
“Of course black lives matter, but so do facts,” Worthy said. “Supportable evidence matters. Doing justice matters. And the truth matters.”
But Kellom’s family and supporters say events didn’t happen the way police portray them — facts they say would have come out in a trial.
“You have young black men being killed by these police officers, and literally getting away with it,” said Kevin Kellom, Terrence’s father. “My son was assassinated in my face. I will never forget that day.”
Kellom’s family plans to file a civil wrongful death lawsuit.
